The present invention relates generally to the field of rotary cutting dies, and relates more specifically to an improved design for the use of such dies.
Rotary cutting dies have been manufactured and used for numerous years. Rotary cutting dies are disclosed, for example, in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,993,421; 3,969,474; 4,210,047; 5,379,671; 5,595,093; and 6,067,887, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Conventionally, rotary cutting dies are formed from a resinous die plate material which supports a steel cutting blade. The cutting blade extends above the surface of the resin die plate and defines the cutting shape. The shape created by the steel cutting blade is employed to cut, score or perforate material such as paper, cardboard or the like, through the rotary cutting process. Usually, rotary cutting dies are sized to be mounted either on discrete sections of a rotary cutting machine die cylinder or along the entire surface thereof. To accommodate either type of die, the die cylinder typically contains a number of receiving holes spaced at predetermined intervals. The receiving holes are positioned in an array along the die cylinder, and are configured to receive screws and clamps that mount on the die cylinder and extend over the edge of the die plate to affix the die to the die cylinder. The die clamps must have an elongated screw hole to allow the die to be mounted either closer or further away form the screw hole. This system is cumbersome and time consuming which means that valuable time and money are wasted just trying to get the die plates precisely located and attached. Most often, die plates require position adjustments which means more lost time and wasted paper. Each die position adjustment requires loosening of screws and clamps or even moving a screw to a different screw hole.